The Agony of Ecstasy: Former Brady Target Reche Caldwell Busted

Reche Caldwell looked like a deer caught in the headlights as Tom Brady’s go-to receiver back in 2006 when #12 didn’t have much to go to. Might his arrest today shed light on why his eyes looked bigger than footballs whenever the football came his way?

Police in Tampa arrested the former receiver for the Chargers, Patriots, and Redskins on charges of selling ecstasy pills. The Tampa Tribune reports that Caldwell remains in jail waiting to make $2,000 bail. Maybe Tom Terrific could spare a few seconds worth of a game check to spring from jail the latest of his ex-receivers to run afoul of the law.

Alas, Brady probably remembers Caldwell’s best days–he caught 61 balls for 760 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2006–as his worst. In addition to Caldwell, Brady’s ball shaggers that season included Doug Gabriel, Jabar Gaffney, and an old-in-the-tooth Troy Brown who doubled as a defensive back. Despite the deficiencies, the Patriots miraculously made it past the San Diego Chargers only to lose in the AFC Championship Game to a determined Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

Caldwell, Brown, and Gabriel all caught their last NFL passes within a year of that AFC Championship Game. The Caldwell-Gabriel-Gaffney experience compelled New England to revamp their receiving corps, adding Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Donte Stallworth in the offseason. Tom and the 2006 Nobodies became one of the most potent offensive juggernauts in NFL history the following season.

Caldwell’s arrest on drug charges follows an arrest earlier this year for alleged involvement in a gambling ring. Dropping two Tom Brady passes in the AFC Championship Game will win you your walking papers from the NFL. So will narcotics and bookmaking.